1957 THREE VISITORS TO SYDNEY

CIRCULAR QUAY Looking West along Alfred Street.

Anyone who knows me knows my strong interest in Naval History and Naval Vessels. In 1957  The United States Navy  sent a Cruiser Squadron to pay a goodwill visit to Sydney, And of course, I had to go and see the visiting ships , or at least two of them , for the third was berthed at Woolloomoolloo at a wharf which I knew would not make for a good photograph.

U.S.S. LOS ANGELES Heavy Cruiser berthed on the Western Side of Circular Quay

The ships were U.S.S. LOS ANGELES Heavy Cruiser, U.S.S. ROCHESTER Heavy Cruiser, and U.S.S. ROANOKE Light Cruiser . LOS ANGELES weighed 13,700 tons as did ROCHESTER.  But the Light Cruiser ROANOKE weighed 14,700 tons.This was not the anomaly it might appear. The "Heavy" and "Light" terms in the ships' descriptions refer not to their weight , but rather to the calibre of their Main Armament. Both LOS ANGELES and ROCHESTER  each mounted

nine 8" Guns, whereas ROANOKE mounted twelve 6" Guns.She was unusual in that she had  six turrets - three forward and three aft, as opposed to the classical two forward and one aft as LOS ANGELES AND ROCHESTER did. I only learned this about ROANOKE to-day as I began to write this. Had I known at the time I would certainly have photographed her on account of this oddity.

The presence of such a formidable squadron in Sydney on a goodwill visit, when Australia did not even have one comparable ship in service, was an impressive demonstration of the power of the United States Navy which had Defeated the Japanese in WW II with some help from the Royal Australian Navy . And both had played a significant roe in the defeat of North Korea in the late Korean War.

   

U.S.S. ROCHESTER  Heavy Cruiser berthed on the Eastern Side of Circular Quay

 The pictures above are of added interest now sixty years later. Starting from the top, The Cahill Expressway atop the Circular Quay railway line and Station which had been opened the preceding year- 1956, was not yet open to public use- that happened next year in 1958. So the few vehicles seen on the Expressway were obviously officials or contractors. On the left hand side of the picture we can see a portion of the old Thomas Mort Woolstore which had stood there close to the wharves for 107 years. It was to be demolished two years later and replaced by the first building in Sydney to exceed the 150' height limit of 1912 - the 26 storey twin towers of the AMP Building.

In the picture of LOS ANGELES we see the old wharfside storage sheds which were to be demolished and replaced by a new International Passenger Terminal, which has in turn , been repeatedly expanded and and re-furbished several times. The number and size of the ferries now frequenting even this less busy Western end of the Quay has multiplied beyond all recognition.

Likewise the photo of ROCHESTER berthed at the Eastern side of the Quay is interesting also because of what you see - and what you don't. You don't see the Opera House because construction did not start until March, 1959, but you do see the castellated tower of the old Fort Macquarie Tram Depot which was to be demolished the following year in 1958, to make way for the Opera House. Also ,the old Wharfside buildings can be seen astern of ROCHESTER these lined the base of the rock face right along toward Alfred Street until replaced by a series of unloved commercial and home unit buildings in the 1960s. These have mostly ben replaced in later years by more pleasing buildings.

U.S.S.HELENA Light Cruiser berthed at Garden Island Dockyard.

Since we are talking about the United States Navy , Cruisers and aspects of Sydney that have changed, it is fitting that I make mention of the memorable - certainly for me - visit of the U.S.S. HELENA Light Cruiser Guided Missile (CLG).

I hafd the good fortune to travel from Sydney to Hobart Tas. as the guest of the United States Navy along with a small group of others. It was a marvellous privilege. Cruisers are , in Naval custom the beginning of a really significant degree of style and formality in the ship's daily life. They are big enough to accommodate this reality and the presence of a United States Marine Corps contingent on board adds that extra bit of dash, discipline and colour to all that happens.

Cruisers are handsome ships and i could rattle on all day, but I will be concise: three main things impressed me:

. the inside of the 6" Gun Turret - Gun Turrets and the guns they mount are a remarkable feat of engineering. The Turret is mounted on , and can turn about on, a base called a barbette and it sits atop an armoured tube if you will, penetrating the decks below to the Magazine where the 6" Shells are stowed as well as the explosive charges which propel the Shell and its explosives out of the Gun. The guns themselves can be adjusted up and down for greater and lesser range.This is done by Hydraulic power. The crew of the gun where special anti-blast gear to protect their faces from the effects of the gun firing.

.the Gun Control Computer - high in the superstructure above the guns was the MECHANICAL computer  which took in all the multiple pieces of data by means of winding handles around the edge of the high table top of the computer - ship's speed, ship's heading, wind direction , wind speed, outside temperature,..,range of target and so on and in the end it produced :  gun trained to, gun elevated to .... It was a marvel of the mechanical designer's art. Sadly within a year or two it was entirely superseded by the electronic computer.

.the TALOS Missile preparation room. TALOS was a Surface to Surface Missile and HELENA carried a substantial magazine of these missile below the the large room, rather like a small hangar in which we stood whilst the order was given to "Spin-up Missile....."In brief seconds a seal slid back in the centre of the deck and "Whoosh"!" up came the Missile .It wasw then automatically fitted to the rail which carried it to the heavy armoured doors which opened and moved it swiftlt to the rail of the Missile Launcher on the after deck. The Launcher then instantly turned to train upon an imagined target. It was awesome as all this action took place with breath-taking speed . The armoured doors slid shut , because, if the missile were to be actually fired they would become as they are described "Blast Doors" protecting the interior from the blast of the Missile Launch.

The hospitality offered to us was exemplary and the ship was run with commendable efficiency in every way. A journey to remember with  a fond mental salute to the United States and her Navy which came heroically to our aid in WW II when I was only a baby.

The above photograph of HELENA is also now of some historical interest , for the largest crane it shows, rising above the cruiser's stern , is now no more. It was dismantled only last year if I recall , having lain idle for years as the functions it had served no longer apply. 

Our Family connections with the United States Navy actually go back to 1908 when my Grabdfather Edward Beckmann - a German immigrant in 1901 - got his first job in the New South Wales Railways cleaning the carriages of "extra" trains laid on to see the the Battleships of the United States Navy's "Great White FleetT upon its visit to Sydney Harbour. He worked in the Railways for the rest of his workng life as a Signalman, Thank you United States Navy once again!

1947 RELAXATION - MANLY BEACH AND A CULTURAL ICON PEEPING OUT

WITH MY DAD IN PITT STREET,SYDNEY 
OUTSIDE THE WATER BOARD HEAD OFFICE

 It may seem bizarre, but here I am with my Dad, going to the beach! Yes that was the way we and most others dressed for a casual day out! Did you spot the "Cultural Icon "peeping out? Take a close look at my beach bucket - made in good sturdy tinware - no plastics then. (There was Bakelite - widely used in the ever more popular mantel radios, but it was brittle and far from suitable for any knockabout purposes.) On the bucket you will see the reproduction of the bow of R.M.S. Queen Mary whose image wrapped around the bucket - what more could a boy want! 

"The beach", for us almost invariably meant Manly -"7 Miles from Sydney and 1,000 miles from care!"as the signs inside the stately, steam powered ferries used to say. I loved the trip! The ferries themselves were impressive to me with beach names like "Barrenjoey", "Dee Why", "North Head"and the latest and greatest was "South Steyne"- stories of her sailing out from England ( where else!) were listened to in awe, including the tales of the seating having been burnt when fuel ran low!!These steam ferries had engine rooms that were visible from the passenger decks - looking down onto the tops of the cylinders with glimpses of the great piston rods and the cranks of the driveshaft. Scent of steam, oil, grease, sounds of the engineroom telegraph bell, the hiss of steam and the mechanical throb of the thrusting pistons and turning cranks were all come together most powerfully and enchantingly for this little boy.

As is still the case, nature being what it is, the matter of boarding the ferry was always a changing task as the tides at Circular Quay or at Manly ebbed and flowed. There were pairs of short , simple wooden planks with guard rails on one side only - for the lower or main deck, and very large and heavy steel framed ramps on wheels which the wharfhands moved into place for the Upper Deck.

The scent of the sea water at the Quay was complemented by the salt on the "Smiths Crisps" which were an inevitable complement to the journey.I can taste them now. Calls of "Stand Clear!"and the boarding ramps were withdrawn, the faces of disappointed late arrivers littered the wharf.The engineroom telegraph gave its double ring and gracefully we began to move away as the last of the mooring ropes were being coiled down. Generally we stayed on the Starboard or right side, the better to see the naval vessels at Garden Island Dockyard which is still the largest Naval Dockyard in the Southern Hemisphere, and had and still has, the largest heavy lift crane in the Southern Hemisphere.

As we turned out of Circular Quay and headed East down the Harbour we passed on our right the red brick pile of Fort Macquarie which, its name not withstanding, was a large tram depot.( Someone later had the idea that this would make a fine site for an Opera House....and you know the rest!)

For all my later and continuing interest in the Navy and Naval Vessels, it is a cruel truth that I have no memory at all of the many USN, RAN and even RN ships of all sizes that I must have seen there. However I have a very clear memory of the Hospital Ship "MANUNDA" beautifully white with a green band around her hull and emblazoned with the Red Cross on her sides, passing our ferry on her way back to the war. I can still recall the appalled reaction of my parents when, having heard that "MANUNDA"was her name I, very pleased with my rhyme announced "The "MANUNDA"went under"!.Perhaps it was this audience reaction that led to my disinterest in poetry for very many years.

S.S. SOUTH STEYNE Just past the Heads and running in to Manly Wharf

We swept past the homes of the rich and famous and the next point of interest was the Rose Bay Flying Boat Base - the Flying Boats themselves were sometimes to be seen at their moorings, and joy of joys, very occasionally taking off or landing - quite a show!

Some of the older ferries- still quite large, had internally an opening from the midships section of the Main Deck from which we could look down into the Engine Room and see and hear the  great steam piston engines driving the swiftly turning cranked propeller shafts! Sights , sounds and smells to win a young boy's heart! O how I loved it! And I was continually torn between this great drama and the colourful and varied scenes we were passing and the scent of the sea itself!


A gentle turn to Port (left) around Bradley's Head where I was taught to observe the masthead of HMAS SYDNEY ( I ) and reminded that "the SYDNEY sank the (German) EMDEN"in WW I. No-one mentioned the too-painful mystery of the loss of HMAS SYDNEY ( II ), still unexplained at that time.

Then , by degrees we began to feel the influence of the sea as we ran by the Heads. At times this was almost a non event - a mere tummy tickle, but, at other times the effect could be challenging - everyone looking for a handhold and the occasional person being ill. As the ferry headed some of the heavier waves, water would spray on board , what fun!Sometimes it was necessary to cancel the services due to rough seas. Later, as a teenager, I used to wait for days when the seas were reported rough at the Heads, and go into town (the City) with a friend to make the exciting crossing of the Heads - "exciting"- but safe otherwise the Ferries would be cancelled!

But "all good things must come to an end"and all too soon we were past the Heads and gliding into Manly wharf.Then we walked off down the Corso past the intriguing string of Milk Bars, Fish and Chip shops etc. etc. to the Promenade which gave onto the beach backed by the tall and pleasant Norfolk Island Pines. Looking up to the right we saw the imposing sandstone bulk of St.Patrick's Seminary. There are several points of departure from this point - but I shall take them up on later occasions.

*JANUARY 1947 - A "CULTURAL ICON" (peeping out!) MANLY BEACH

WITH MY DAD IN PITT STREET,SYDNEY OUTSIDE THE WATER BOARD HEAD OFFICE

 It may seem bizarre, but here I am with my Dad, going to the beach! Yes that was the way we and most others dressed for a casual day out! Did you spot the "Cultural Icon "peeping out? Take a close look at my beach bucket - made in good sturdy tinware - no plastics then. (There was Bakelite - widely used in the ever more popular mantel radios, but it was brittle and far from suitable for any knockabout purposes.) On the bucket you will see the reproduction of the bow of R.M.S. Queen Mary whose image wrapped around the bucket - what more could a boy want! 

"The beach", for us almost invariably meant Manly -"7 Miles from Sydney and 1,000 miles from care!"as the signs inside the stately, steam powered ferries used to say. I loved the trip! The ferries themselves were impressive to me with beach names like "Barrenjoey", "Dee Why", "North Head"and the latest and greatest was "South Steyne"- stories of her sailing out from England ( where else!) were listened to in awe, including the tales of the seating having been burnt when fuel ran low!!These steam ferries had engine rooms that were visible from the passenger decks - looking down onto the tops of the cylinders with glimpses of the great piston rods and the cranks of the driveshaft. Scent of steam, oil, grease, sounds of the engineroom telegraph bell, the hiss of steam and the mechanical throb of the thrusting pistons and turning cranks were all come together most powerfully and enchantingly for this little boy.

As is still the case, nature being what it is, the matter of boarding the ferry was always a changing task as the tides at Circular Quay or at Manly ebbed and flowed. There were pairs of short , simple wooden planks with guard rails on one side only - for the lower or main deck, and very large and heavy steel framed ramps on wheels which the wharfhands moved into place for the Upper Deck.

The scent of the sea water at the Quay was complemented by the salt on the "Smiths Crisps" which were an inevitable complement to the journey.I can taste them now. Calls of "Stand Clear!"and the boarding ramps were withdrawn, the faces of disappointed late arrivers littered the wharf.The engineroom telegraph gave its double ring and gracefully we began to move away as the last of the mooring ropes were being coiled down. Generally we stayed on the Starboard or right side, the better to see the naval vessels at Garden Island Dockyard which is still the largest Naval Dockyard in the Southern Hemisphere, and had and still has, the largest heavy lift crane in the Southern Hemisphere.
As we turned out of Circular Quay and headed East down the Harbour we passed on our right the red brick pile of Fort Macquarie which, its name not withstanding, was a large tram depot.( Someone later had the idea that this would make a fine site for an Opera House....and you know the rest!)

For all my later and continuing interest in the Navy and Naval Vessels, it is a cruel truth that I have no memory at all of the many USN, RAN and even RN ships of all sizes that I must have seen there. However I have a very clear memory of the Hospital Ship "MANUNDA" beautifully white with a green band around her hull and emblazoned with the Red Cross on her sides, passing our ferry on her way back to the war. I can still recall the appalled reaction of my parents when, having heard that "MANUNDA"was her name I, very pleased with my rhyme announced "The "MANUNDA"went under"!.Perhaps it was this audience reaction that led to my disinterest in poetry for very many years.

We swept past the homes of the rich and famous and the next point of interest was the Rose Bay Flying Boat Base - the Flying Boats themselves were sometimes to be seen at their moorings, and joy of joys, very occasionally taking off or landing - quite a show!


A gentle turn to Port (left) around Bradley's Head where I was taught to observe the masthead of HMAS SYDNEY ( I ) and reminded that "the SYDNEY sank the EMDEN"in WW I. No-one mentioned the too-painful mystery of the loss of HMAS SYDNEY ( II ), still unexplained at that time.

Then , by degrees we began to feel the influence of the sea as we ran by the Heads. At times this was almost a non event - a mere tummy tickle, but, at other times the effect could be challenging - everyone looking for a handhold and the occasional person being ill. As the ferry headed some of the heavier waves, water would spray on board , what fun!Sometimes it was necessary to cancel the services due to rough seas.

But "all good things must come to an end"and all too soon we were past the Heads and gliding into Manly wharf.Then we walked off down the Corso past the intriguing string of Milk Bars, Fish and Chip shops etc. etc. to the Promenade which gave onto the beach backed by the tall and pleasant Norfolk Island Pines. Looking up to the right we saw the imposing sandstone bulk of St.Patrick's Seminary. There are several points of departure from this point - but I shall take them up on later occasions.